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Arioi (British Nobles)
Arioi are Pritanoi nobles. These heavy infantry, although neither plentiful nor cheap, are at the heart of any Pritanoi army and are unrivalled in battle in their homeland. Description First in the battle line of any Pritanoi army are the Arioi. Blue blooded they may be, but unlike the effete nobles of other nations these men know they owe their place in society as much to birthright as they do to their conspicuous bravery. No tribesman will ever follow a coward and the Arioi know this. Those who can, clad themselves in coats of iron mail, others enter the fray, their bodies adorned in blue dyes, their skin pricked with ink. These men never form more than a small number of the warriors on the field of battle, however they are the first to enter the fray and the last to leave it, inspiring their kinsmen with acts of valour and bravery. Historically there has been much debate in British archaeology as to the social structure of British Iron Age societies. Formerly it was argued that British Iron Age societies functioned much as those in Gaul did; a highly stratified society in which a king ruled, followed in status and power by a nobility, a ritual class formed of druids, bards, uates, various groups of craftsmen and finally the peasantry, possibly with a sub-class composed of slaves. The problem is that for much of the Iron Age in Britain there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of such a system. Many regions of Britain for much of the Iron Age have revealed no strong evidence for the existence of what could be considered a noble class. Only in a few places, such as the Arras culture of Yorkshire, or the rich graves of Late Iron Age (c.100BC-AD43) south Britain, do we have evidence to support the existence of a nobility similar to that which existed on the continent. \n\nWe do however have very strong evidence for the existence of craft specialists, and Iron Age Britain has produced some of the finest examples of La Tène metalwork in Europe. Likewise, even if we do not have much evidence for the existence of what might be termed a noble class in Iron Age Britain, warfare, judging by the evidence from the archaeological record, was endemic. Whereas in areas of Iron Age Britain such as Eastern Yorkshire it seems that a noble class functioned in battle as their Gallic contemporaries did, elsewhere in Britain it was likely that power was based on ability or popularity rather than birthright. Usage The recruitable version of the Tegeslougos (Pritanoi Bodyguard), these men are just as formidable in melee and their ability to increase the morale of nearby units is a great boon. They are best used in the front lines, where their defense skill and armor would allow them to survive the most ferocious melee attacks. Like their bodyguard counterparts, they have absolutely no defense against heavy cavalry so have a Ambaktoi (British Retainers Spearmen) nearby to protect them. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Pritanoi